Airbnb to Keynote VERGE SF on Distributed, Decentralized Disruption

OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 24, 2014 /3BL Media/ –– Airbnb co-founder and chief product officer Joe Gebbia will open VERGE San Francisco, focusing on how the convergence of technology and innovative thinking can disrupt a trillion-dollar market in just a few short years.  The keynote conversation will kick-off an event focused on how technology transforms companies and cities while addressing a range of sustainability challenges, from climate change to crowded cities.

VERGE San Francisco, the flagship of a global event series produced by GreenBiz Group, looks at how technology accelerates sustainability solutions across industries and sectors in a climate-constrained world. 

“Airbnb is an exceptional story by any measure,” said GreenBiz chairman and executive editor Joel Makower, who will conduct the “fireside chat” with Gebbia. “But the social and environmental impacts the company has brought to cities, families and travelers places it at the heart of the VERGE’s theme of distributed, decentralized disruption in nearly every sector.”

The Airbnb story weaves together several of VERGE’s themes, including how technology enables start-ups to upend entrenched business models, maximizes the use of underutilized assets, provides experience-rich opportunities, and empowers both companies and customers to make decisions and educate others.

Among the nearly 100 sessions at VERGE SF are those focused on distributed energy systems, next-gen buildings, sustainable mobility, food and water systems, smarter supply chains and resilient cities. Featured speakers from the nearly 200 confirmed to participate include Chris Anderson of 3D Robotics, John Lauckner of GM, Robb Fraley of Monsanto, author and entrepreneur Paul Hawken, biomimicry guru Janine Benyus and senior executives from Autodesk, Facebook, HP, Ford, GE, SDG&E, Google, IBM, Southern California Edison, Microsoft, NRG Energy, Jones Lang LaSalle, Yahoo!, PG&E, Volvo, Boeing, Qualcomm, Kaiser Permanente, PepsiCo and Walmart. 

Public-sector speakers at VERGE represent the cities of Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco; the state of California, the federal Department of Energy, General Services Administration, NOAA and the White House.

For more information about VERGE San Francisco, visit GreenBiz.com/VERGE.

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